Bella Hadid's Swarovski Ambassador Role Hits a Speed Bump in Israel

The appointment of supermodel Bella Hadid as ambassador for jeweler Swarovski has generated its first campaign, dripping with color-saturated, visual appeal. Conceptualized by creative director Giovanna Engelbert, and shot by photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, the brand message is transformative for Swarovski.

Casually adapted to our contemporary wardrobes, crystals become an everyday tool for self-expression in Engelbert’s transformation of the Swarovski brand. This evolution is illustrated in six faces of Bella Hadid, each represented in the campaign by one of six colors of crystal jewelry.

“Bella Hadid sums up the individualistic and transformative attitude of a new global generation. She is a multifaceted character who evades the boxes of rules and conformity. She goes from sporty to glamorous while remaining the same girl — the same Bella — with confidence and authority,” Engelbert says in a press release. “In that sense, she conveys the values of Swarovski to perfection. Today, crystals are a dynamic part of our everyday wardrobe: a way of accentuating your individual style in a way that can be as casual as it can be elaborate. Bella is the poster girl for this state of mind."

The press release also elaborates on the colors themselves — yellow, pink, green, blue, metallic and clear white and their use in specific pieces of jewelry. Read more details here.

Unhappy Israeli Swarovski Partner Rejects Bella Hadid

AOC always does a last 24 hours Google search on our posts, and the Jerusalem Post’s story on Israel’s rejection of Bella Hadid as Swarovski ambassador is in the #3 position, ahead of the press release.

The Yalon group, which owns Swarovski stores in Israel, has issued a statement distancing itself from Bella Hadid as the new ambassador for the jewelry brand. Limited headlines in the Israeli press — but including the important Jerusalem Post — carry a similar message, calling Bella Hadid a “top model and anti-Israel activist”.

“The company will not allow Bella Hadid to take part in advertising the brand in Israel and we are working hard to replace it,” said the statement. After further investigation, Yalon’s commitment is to replace Bella herself, not to create different ads for Israel.

The timing of Swarovski’s announcement of Bella’s ambassadorship last week coincided with severe criticism against the Hadid sisters, who “recently blasted Israeli police for operations against Muslim rioters on the Temple Mount.” from Israel’s point of view.

Both Hadid sisters have participated in pro-Palestinian marches in America for years and have live-streamed the events to Bella’s 54 million followers. Bella, who is of Dutch-Palestinian heritage, has an ongoing feud with Instagram over their frequent censorship of her Palestine-related IG posts, some of them highly-opinionated. In AOC’s opinion, Bella does not exaggerate the reality that Instagram seems to watch her posts with unusual vigilance.

Israeli model Bar Refaeli posted a story on Instagram last week, honoring the three Israelis axed to death in last week’s attack in Elad. Refaeli tagged Bella Hadid, asking “Are you going to repost?”

Israel's Eurovision Song Contest contender, Michael Ben David, was scheduled to represent Swarovski in the current program events. He has refused to wear any jewelry brand associated with Bella Hadid.

For their part, Swarovski Global has responded to the criticism in Israel, writing: “Since its inception, the DNA of the company is of peace. “The Austrian brand continued:

”Bella Hadid is a fashion icon who has led major campaigns, who has left her mark in the industry on the runway and the red carpets. In Swarovski’s new campaign, she presents a new style and does not strive for self-expression, which is in line with the brand’s values. ”

“Swarovski is an apolitical society and does not make political statements. There is no room for hatred or violence in any aspect of society. Our mission is to fulfill dreams, while maintaining tolerance, inclusion and courtesy.”

AOC notes that there are 845,000 Likes on Bella’s Swarovski post. AND next to it our sister stands for women’s rights saying: “Men shouldn’t be making laws about women’s bodies.” Bella speaks with a clear voice on current events. I’m sure Swarovski was not surprised to learn of Bella’s political positions. I would be quite surprised if brand management hadn’t given their Israeli franchisee a “heads up” on her appointment in advance.